- Glassdoor’s annual compilation of the best jobs in America is filled with tech positions, many of which topped the list for 2020.
- The company takes three main factors into account when ranking the positions: median annual base salary, overall job satisfaction, and number of job openings.
- Front end engineer topped the list this year, replacing the role of data scientist, which has ranked as the number one job on Glassdoor’s roundup since 2016.
- The list is further evidence of the growing demand for tech jobs and tech-oriented skills in the job market.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The technology sector continues to be a lucrative industry for job growth, but that doesn’t mean all tech-oriented jobs are equal when it comes to salary and demand.
Career search and reviews website Glassdoor just shared its yearly list of the best jobs in America, and tech positions landed at the top of the list. The compilation ranks the top 50 occupations in the country by the median annual base salary, overall job satisfaction, and number of job openings.
Nearly half of the entire 2020 list is composed of tech jobs, with the No. 1 ranked position being front end engineer. That role replaces another popular tech job that had been at the top of Glassdoor’s list since 2016: data scientist.
The job of a front end engineer entails managing the public-facing portion of a website or app – i.e. the “front end.” Front end engineers are usually tasked with managing and implementing the user interface of a website or app, although the job requirements will vary depending on the employer.
"While data scientist remains a thriving role, we're seeing a high demand for front end engineers with over 13,000 open roles, nearly double the number of data scientist open jobs," Amanda Stansell, Glassdoor's senior economic research analyst, wrote in a blog post announcing the list. "In addition to numerous open jobs, front end engineers report competitive salaries and high job satisfaction."
Glassdoor's list is further evidence of the ongoing demand for tech-oriented jobs and skills in today's job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of the fastest-growing occupations also includes positions in software development and information security, for example. Software developer jobs also ranked among CareerBuilder's highest-paid and fastest-growing jobs in the United States, as MarketWatch reported.
But if you are considering a new career in tech, make sure you're doing so for the right reasons and not just for a high salary, says Michael Ellison, founder and CEO of computer science education non-profit CodePath.org.
"If you're building a career based on what you're interested in, it's going to be a lot more sustainable," Ellison told Business Insider in a previous interview when asked about his best advice for learning how to code.
Here's a look at the top tech jobs for 2020 according to Glassdoor.
20. Network Engineer
Overall ranking: 49
Job satisfaction rating: 3.6 out of 5
Number of job openings: 6,138
Median base salary: $71,028
19. Automation Engineer
Overall ranking: 46
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 2,658
Median base salary: $85,456
18. Data Analyst
Overall ranking: 44
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7 out of 5
Number of job openings: 6,848
Median base salary: $62,973
17. Sales Engineer
Overall ranking: 42
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 2,854
Median base salary: $87,608
16. QA Engineer
Overall ranking: 39
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 3,321
Median base salary: $81,632
15. UX Designer
Overall ranking: 38
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 3,308
Median base salary: #90,478
14. Product Designer
Overall ranking: 34
Job satisfaction rating: 4.2 out of 5
Number of job openings: 1,946
Median base salary: $102,000
13. Cloud Engineer
Overall ranking: 33
Job satisfaction rating: 3.6 out of 5
Number of job openings: 4,668
Median base salary: $110,600
12. Software Developer
Overall ranking: 32
Job satisfaction rating: 3.5 out of 5
Number of job openings: 31,909
Median base salary: $80,429
11. Scrum Master
Overall ranking: 29
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 2,894
Median base salary: $100,000
10. Systems Engineer
Overall ranking: 27
Job satisfaction rating: 3.5 out of 5
Number of job openings: 16,850
Median base salary: $92,225
9. Applications Engineer
Overall ranking: 18
Job satisfaction rating: 3.7 out of 5
Number of job openings: 9,550
Median base salary: $76,854
8. Salesforce Developer
Overall ranking: 14
Job satisfaction rating: 4.2 out of 5
Number of job openings: 3,639
Median base salary: $81,175
7. Software Engineer
Overall ranking: 7
Job satisfaction rating: 3.6 out of 5
Number of job openings: 50,438
Median base salary: $105,563
6. Data Engineer
Overall ranking: 6
Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 out of 5
Number of job openings: 6,941
Median base salary: $102,472
5. Devops Engineer
Overall ranking: 5
Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 out of 5
Number of job openings: 6,603
Median base salary: $107,310
4. Product Manager
Overall ranking: 4
Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 out of 5
Number of job openings: 12,173
Median base salary: $117,713
3. Data Scientist
Overall ranking: 3
Job satisfaction rating: 4 out of 5
Number of job openings: 6,542
Median base salary: $107,801
2. Java Developer
Overall ranking: 2
Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 out of 5
Number of job openings: 16,136
Median base salary: $83,589
1. Front End Engineer
Overall ranking: 1
Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 out of 5
Number of job openings: 13,122
Median base salary: $105,240
